Remember when Disney+ changed our lives?
Reviewing the streaming wars.
Where were you when Disney+ entered our lives?
I remember exactly where I was one year ago yesterday. I was home from work with a sick little girl. On top of that, the evening before had brought a storm that dumped about a foot of snow throughout the Detroit area, so my son was also home from school. What a perfect day to enjoy a service promising to be the be all, end all of family entertainment.
I woke up early that morning just so I could sign up, taking advantage of our Verizon Wireless plan for a full year of service. I was off work that day to care for my daughter, and I had a vision of us all sitting at the TV, watching Pixar and Muppet movies, maybe visiting the Star Wars galaxy or the Marvel universe, and then lulling myself to sleep with an unending parade of Simpsons episodes. I couldn’t wait for the vast binge that awaited. I logged in, smiled as I created a Darth Vader avatar and watched….
A spinning blue circle.
Like many others, my initial experience with Disney+ was hours of buffering, as apparently the Mouse House’s servers were not prepared for the onslaught of subscribers. It was a problem that was quickly remedied and which, I should be clear, has not happened to us again. But it was the first evidence to many of us that this heavily hyped service was probably not the revolutionary advancement in entertainment we had been promised.
And yet, it was the beginning of major changes.
A year later, it’s almost quaint to remember that streaming services didn’t previously cater to one specific studio or entertainment conglomerate (and it makes you downright ancient if you can remember that Netflix used to send DVDs to you in the mail). When streaming started out, with Netflix leading the way, it served the function of an online video store. Streaming services licensed content from the studios or bought movies outright, and the easy way to remember it was this: There was Netflix, which had cable TV shows, old programs and movies, and there was Hulu, which had network TV. Then, there was everyone else.
Of course, as Netflix dominated the entertainment landscape and then launched its own in-house programming with House of Cards, Orange is the New Black and high-profile movies, studios began to realize they were missing out on money by licensing their movies to other streamers instead of just standing up their own services (Netflix realized studios were going to get wise to this, which is why they started making their own content). So, rather than allow Game of Thrones to be a Netflix titled, they launched HBO Go, which begat HBO Now, and which now exists as HBO Max. CBS created CBS All Access.
When Bob Iger announced that Disney would be launching its own streaming service, you could hear the shockwaves in pop culture. This wasn’t just Netflix getting the rights to make new Arrested Development episodes or Hulu acquiring the rights to Seinfeld (which will head to Netflix in 2021). This was the biggest cultural behemoth declaring that it would set up its own one-stop location for everything it owned; and what it basically owns is everyone’s eyeballs. Pixar. Disney Animation. Star Wars. Marvel. And then Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox further increased the offerings. Now they had Avatar, Home Alone, The Sound of Music and more than 600 episodes of The Simpsons. Couch potatoes began conniving ways to stay home 24/7 (and, um, a few months later, got their wish). And executives at other studios and media corporations began plotting their own strategy to pull it off. Soon, Apple announced its own streaming service, Apple TV+, which launched just a month before Disney+. HBO announced HBO Max and NBC/Universal announced Peacock.
And here we are. A few years ago, we were excited to cut the cable cord because streaming services like Amazon and Netflix allowed us access to entertainment at a low rate. These days, we’re likely paying just as much for our streaming subscriptions as we were for a cable bundle. And while there’s now more content than a human can possibly consumer in their lifetime available in the palm of their hand, the streaming landscape still too often feels scattershot, clumsy and frustrating. So I thought I’d take a little bit of time to talk about the various streaming services, particularly the ones we use, and their (Disney)plus and minuses.
Disney+: Let’s start with the one that kicked off this conversation. Once we got through the magic blue swirl of death on Nov. 12, 2019, the service seemed to be exactly what we wanted. Classic Disney animation. Pixar movies. Marvel and Star Wars. Films that were part of our childhood and TV shows our kids loved. We spent the majority of that day watching Aladdin (the good one, not the live-action one), The Great Muppet Caper and WALL-E. That evening, I binged on the first episode of The Mandalorian, Encore and several episodes of The Simpsons.
But it wasn’t without its problems. Its library was not as all-inclusive as we’d been led to believe. A few Pixar and Star Wars films were unavailable due to previous deals with Netflix. The Marvel library was downright anemic. And while there was a moderate selection of new programs (but the catalogue was always the big promise), they weren’t that good. Encore was a fun idea that grew stale by its second episode, and the Jeff Goldblum science show was an interesting idea that never amounted to anything. Only The Mandalorian was must-watch television and, to its credit, it kept up that consistency through its first season (and into its second, so far). I can’t overstate that; just one month later, The Rise of Skywalker would kill most of my enthusiasm for Star Wars, but The Mandalorian somehow seemed to do everything right that that film did wrong.
One year later? The catalogue is a bit improved. Every Star Wars movie is now available, and I believe every Pixar one is, too. Disney continues to stock up its vintage titles, and family films that were lacking on the first day, including Home Alone, The Mighty Ducks and others, are now available (although it’s baffling that something like Enchanted, a Disney movie that plays off our fondness for Disney movies, is not available to stream without extra pricing anywhere, as far as I can tell). The Marvel library still could use a bit more muscle, but streaming rights are a peculiar beast. Hamilton was a big get for them this summer, although new movies continue to be hit and miss. Onward and Mulan (the latter with a premium fee) were made available after the pandemic altered theatrical release plans, and neither seemed to make much of a mark (I can’t vouch for Mulan, but Onward suffered from being not very good); hopefully Soul’s release on Christmas Day proves a bit better. Their new TV shows have also been hit and miss. I loved The Imagineering Story, which is a must for any theme park nerd. Muppets Now is an improvement over the dreadful ABC show from a few years back, but suffers from being too repetitive. LIke I said, The Mandalorian continues to be fun viewing in its second season, and I’m hopeful that the Marvel shows WandaVision and Falcon and the Winter Soldier will be mor in line with that one.
Bottom line is that Disney+ was not our pop culture savior. It’s another big, monopolizing grab from an evil empire, and it’s only going to be more of a focus in the future, as Disney is putting all its post-pandemic eggs in that basket (hopefully Baby Yoda doesn’t eat them). But while it’s flawed, it has one of the best catalogues around, particularly with vintage titles, something other streamers struggle with. And let’s admit what every parent knows: at $7/month, it’s the best deal on a babysitter around.
Netflix: The McDonald’s of streaming services. I say that not because it’s full of junk food (although there’s plenty there) but because it’s the grandaddy of the services, the one people will always think of when they think of streaming. Despite people seeing Disney+ as a “Netflix killer,” it’s in no danger of going away, mainly because when a company spends billions of dollars a year to create content, there’s always going to be something for everyone. I’m still looking forward to the fourth season of Stranger Things, and BoJack Horseman topped my list for best TV show several years straight. When Netflix wants to, it’s done great with weird, funny fare. I greatly enjoyed both seasons of its Wet Hot American Summer series, and American Vandal was the great spoof of true-crime TV we needed. Sure, for every The Keepers or Making a Murderer, there’s trash TV like Tiger King. But trash is just a part of the Netflix diet.
Its masterstroke is that instead of focusing on one niche, like Disney does with family fare, Netflix is content to throw a bunch of money at everything, including movies and TV shows, and see what sticks. And so, prestige shows like The Crown, The Queen’s Gambit, and Mindhunter brush up against empty viewing like Emily in Paris, Floor is Lava, and Nailed It; and while I won’t vouch for the latter two for being great TV, they are supremely entertaining programs to throw on while you fold laundry. And the vintage library is still impressive. I’m making my way through The West Wing right now, and Netflix is still where most people saw Schitt’s Creek. They have Chappelle's Show and Jeopardy. And even though Space Force was a massive miss, let’s not forget that Netflix also gave us I Think You Should Leave, which I’ve watched every episode of several times and is one of the great sketch comedy shows of the last 20 years.
And Netflix is still a great home for movies, although again, you’re going to see trash line up against classics. There’s a great catalogue of vintage hits; I just went through a run of Aaron Sorkin movies and most of them — including The Social Network, Moneyball, two of the best — were available there. Sure, they made a deal with the devil when they signed a contract with Adam Sandler (sorry fellow critics: I don’t care how great Uncut Gems is; Hubie Halloween is awful). But they also were home to two of my favorite films from last year, The Irishman and Marriage Story, as well as other great films like Roma, Dick Johnson is Dead, I’m Thinking of Ending Things and The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. All that, plus it’s still home to the best comedy specials, like last year’s sublime John Mulaney and the Sack Lunch Bunch.
Netflix puts out so much content that it’s easy to see it turning out trash. But they’re also taking chances with great filmmakers and showrunners, and shelling out money for films the studios turned down. It’s still a must-have service.
Amazon Prime: Here’s the thing: Amazon doesn’t need Prime. Amazon makes a fortune by being your local supplier of everything. Amazon Prime is just a nice bonus for signing up for preferred shipping. But it’s got a nice little library. Not only is there a solid stock of constantly rotating films available for free, their original content is solid. I’ve really liked Amazon shows like Jack Ryan and Catastrophe, as well as their animated series Undone. Critics and many of my friends love The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Fleabag and Transparent. And their original movie lineup is consistently fantastic, with Oscar nominees Manchester by the Sea, The Big Sick, and underseen gems like Chi-Raq. And Amazon has a great “channel” selection, including Doc Club, Shudder, HBO, Showtime and IFC Films, so for a low price (usually about $5), you can add them right to your list. I sometimes give Amazon short shrift because its interface on our Roku TV is cumbersome and I don’t like dragging through it. And its selection is far smaller than something like Netflix. But quality wise, it’s been really consistent. And landing the premieres of Borat Subsequent Moviefilm and December’s Coming 2 America position it to become a home for big feature comedies.
Hulu: A streamer with an identity crisis. Hulu was originally where we went for network TV after we cut the cord. It’s where we watched Saturday Night Live (on Sunday morning), Bob’s Burgers and The Good Place. And you can still find a lot of TV on Hulu. But now that other streamers are jumping into it and pulling their licenses, Hulu’s starting to figure out what, exactly it is. It’s had some stumbles with original programming; The Handmaid’s Tale and Palm Springs were hits, but Castle Rock was a two-season whiff. But shows like Ramy, Shrill and Pen15 have highlighted its skill at picking comedies. Disney now owns the majority of Hulu, and I’m surprised they haven’t made a push to put their more adult offerings (especially those from 20th Century Fox) on the streamer; it’s shocking Die Hard and Aliens are elsewhere (HBO Max). But it’s also leveraging FX well, debuting several of the network’s shows there or becoming their home immediately after air. I think in the future we’ll see more of the Disney/Fox brand emerge in the movie section, and the FX mentality will feed into the majority of its shows. It will be interesting to watch.
Quibi: Ha, I’m just kidding.
Apple TV+: This launched about a month before Disney+ and was derided for its small offerings. With no back catalogue or licensing deal to fall back on, its biggest claim to fame was to open with a quickly forgotten Jason Momoa show and the very expensive The Morning Show, which received lukewarm notices from critics. I signed up for a free month, quickly tired of it, and closed it out late last year. But this summer, I went back into the service and was surprised. There’s still not a ton on Apple TV +, but what there is is consistently very good. Ted Lasso is a fantastic, delightful sitcom that might be my favorite show of this year. Documentaries like Boys State are ambitious and aspirational fare, and generated solid reviews. Sofia Coppola’s reunion with Bill Murray, On the Rocks, debuted there last month and, as I wrote previously, it’s very enjoyable. I’m not a fan of their user interface and the offerings are still a bit slim, but most things there are of very high quality. And The Morning Show, once you ignore the fact that it was their prestige opener, is watchable escapist fare.
HBO Max: HBO Max is a mixed bag. First off, combining what is essentially a Warner Brothers service under the HBO banner made no sense and seems to hurt the HBO brand. It also made it confusing for those of us who had previously subscribed to HBO Now and HBO Go -- would we be transitioned over or would we have to get a new service (the answer: the money just continued to be paid the same, and our account was transferred...but you still had to download a new app, and if you had Roku or Amazon, where it wasn’t allowed, you had to go through another platform or else you were out of luck). And the site is a mess to navigate. You can search HBO’s collection of movies or TCM’s, but not all at once. HBO content is prioritized, but you have to dig to find the other channels, where much of the great content is. It’s a disaster of a rollout, and I still get confused as to what’s original to HBO Max and what originated on the channel. But if you can search through all that, it’s a solid library. Most of HBO’s content is there, and there’s a sprawling section of great movies from Warner Brothers and other streamers; the TCM section is a great entry point for those who don’t want to go full-bore Criterion Channel just yet. Comic book fans might love the DC offerings, but they tend to rotate fairly quickly and it’s confusing what is there and what is missing. The Studio Ghibli offerings are a fantastic option, but I don’t know if enough casual filmgoers know enough to search for it. Bonus points, though: the new Looney Tunes cartoons are fantastic. However, it gets a ding for launching on the promise of having all of the Harry Potter movies, which disappeared to Peacock one month later.
Peacock: I don’t understand Peacock. I’m paying for a service with commercials. I could pay more and go commercial-free, but I’m not quite certain there’s much to pay for. There is, of course, a good NBC library, and I’m sure I’ll spend some time watching The Office, Parks and Recreation and 30 Rock. But its layout is a mess, its movie library is arbitrary and not a single one of its original shows has piqued my interest (although the Saved by the Bell reboot might be worth a look). I’ll keep an eye on it because I know eventually I’m going to want to revisit some of those old go-tos, but right now this one’s a bit of a disaster. And those Harry Potter movies? After being on Peacock for a month or two, they’re now not available to stream anywhere.
The Criterion Channel: I described The Criterion Channel to one of my film critic friends recently as my great joy and my great shame. Let’s get this out of the way: If you’re a film lover, this is an essential service. Criterion’s long made a name for itself as the most trusted name for restorations and extras, and their beautiful transfers look great here. There’s a growing, endlessly enjoyable selection of classics, obscure gems, foreign films, documentaries and exquisitely curated collections. Through Criterion, this year alone I’ve finally seen Hardcore, Police Story, The Last Detail, Gimme Shelter, Grey Gardens and The Umbrellas of Cherbourgh. The selection is constantly updated, but Criterion also puts out a fantastic email each month to keep you abreast of what’s coming and going, and films hang on long enough that the only thing keeping you from viewing them is your own initiative. Criterion is also famous for its extras, and it’s the rare streaming service that makes essays, interviews, commentaries and companion pieces available on its site. In fact, the reason it’s my great shame is because it constantly reminds me of how many great movies I still have yet to see. The best streaming deal there is.
Are there any streaming services you love that I missed? Wildly disagree with my take? Comment!
The Digest
Where you can find my work this week
The Climb review: Even though the theatrical year has been torpedoed by COVID-19, there are still releases. And as I look at my growing list of streaming screeners, it seems studios still have a lot they’re pushing through on video and in theaters before the end of the year. This release from Sony Pictures Classics debuted at Cannes in 2019 and had to navigate all the changes to find its way to theaters this weekend. It was well worth the wait. I knew next to nothing about this charming indie comedy when I sat down to watch it, and it quickly became one of my favorite films of the year. Michael Angelo Covino has one of the most assured directorial debuts I’ve seen with this, a heartfelt and perceptive comedy about male friendship that manages to be both very funny and a visual joy. Read my review at BHM Pop Culture.
We’re Watching Here: We were a bit later than I’d hoped getting together our next episode of WWH, but it was worth the wait. Perry and I start by talking about Borat Subsequent Moviefilm and On the Rocks before delving into a long discussion of The Trial of the Chicago 7 and the career of Aaron Sorkin. I say in the episode that watching films written and/or directed by Sorkin was some of the most enjoyable research I ever conducted, and I mean it. This was a fun episode, and I’m excited for you to hear it. At Transistor.fm.
Chrisicisms
The pop culture I’ve been consuming this week
The Mandalorian (S2, Ep. 2): As I said above, this show continues to delight me. What I love about George Lucas’ original film is the way it mashed up genre, combining westerns, fairy tales, samurai films and sci-fi. That seemed to get lost as the mythology grew and Star Wars just seemed more interested in giving us more of the same. The joy of The Mandalorian’s episodic structure is that it can be a new show from week to week. Case in point, last week’s episode took an unexpected turn into horror with Mando’s escape from angry ice spiders. It was a gross, suspenseful and very fun episode, leavened by a great, dark running gag involving Baby Yoda eating a desperate passengers’ eggs.
When Harry Met Sally: My wife and I watched this on a whim last weeked. We’ve, of course, seen it several times, and we were browsing HBO Max and settled on it. And every time I see it, I’m amazed at how perfectly Rob Reiner and Nora Ephron’s collaboration works. The dialogue is perfect, Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan are so much fun. What is so delightful is that Ephron’s script isn’t high-concept at all; it’s just about two people having a friendship that leads to love. In 90 quick minutes, it’s endlessly quotable, very funny and deeply sweet. It’s the Citizen Kane of rom-coms. And a quick note: I’ve watched A LOT of Rob Reiner this year without intending it. In 2020 alone, I’ve watched The Princess Bride, The American President, A Few Good Men and When Harry Met Sally, and that’s just a fraction of what he did in the ‘80s and ‘90s. What a run.
The West Wing (S1, E4): Not much to say about “Five Votes Down.” I continue to be impressed by this show and how its brilliant, funny dialogue. This episode, which finds John Spencer’s Leo leading the team as they try to save a bill before its vote while he deals with personal travails at home, is as smart and funny as the others. What really amazes me is how I never watched it in my twenties, when this would have been right in my wheelhouse. Whatever; at least I get to watch it now.
That’s it for this week! I’ll see you all next week! Remember: If you’re enjoying, please subscribe and share!